Step on It

Larry Evans is an ex-cop who won't let a dismissal be the end of his story. When a wave of truck robberies sweeps through the region, he starts assembling clues from the streets he once patrolled, following leads that point to a well-organized crew. He leans on rougher methods than his old badge allowed, mixing stakeouts, blunt interrogations and athletic confrontations to pressure suspects. Romantic tension with Connie Banning adds a personal stake, and familiar faces complicate loyalties. The film keeps its energy in short, punchy set pieces and interrogations, laying out the investigation without giving away its later surprises.

Step on It was released in 1936, directed by Harry S. Webb and built as a modest action-drama vehicle for stuntman-star Richard Talmadge, with Lois Wilde and George Walsh rounding out the principal cast.

No reliable box office records survive for Step on It, which is common for small studio programmers of the 1930s. It likely played regional and second-run theaters rather than enjoying a wide, tracked gross.

The movie left a limited footprint in mainstream memory, but it attracts collectors and aficionados of vintage action for Talmadge's physical work. Its truck-heist sequences and brisk pacing reflect era conventions, so it shows up occasionally in repertory programs and discussions about stunt choreography in early crime pictures.

Contemporary and modern responses tend to be mixed. The film holds a low average rating, and critics point to thin plotting and budget constraints, yet many note the lively stunt sequences and clear moral throughline. Themes center on law versus lawlessness, personal honor after dismissal, and a straightforward romantic subplot that raises the stakes for the protagonist. For viewers who appreciate economical storytelling and old-school action, Step on It delivers a compact, no-frills crime drama.